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About Cauldrons and Cupcakes

Hi! I'm Nicole Cody. I am a writer, psychic, metaphysical teacher and organic farmer. I love to read, cook, walk on the beach, dance in the rain and grow things. Sometimes, to entertain my cows, I dance in my gumboots. Gumboot dancing is very under-rated.

“Hive Mind – a collective consciousness, analogous to the behavior of social insects, in which a group of people become aware of their commonality and think and act as a community, sharing their knowledge, thoughts, and resources” ~ dictionary.com

“Twitter in particular has often been termed a “hive mind” that connects users to draw on the help of a larger group, such as getting suggestions for where to eat in an unfamiliar city.” ~ Ben Zimmer

We’re at the dawn of a new energetic era – a time of co-operation, collaboration, community and connection. And we’ve just left an energetic era that was all about hoarding knowledge as power and of the rise of the independent and disconnected individual.

What that means for most of us who were born prior to 2012 is that we’re lousy at asking for help, and we’ve grown up expecting to solve our own problems and to suffer silently in the doing of that.

I can feel you nodding your heads in agreement. Empaths, intuitives and sensitive souls especially – we’re not good at asking for ourselves, we’re only good at helping others.

Which brings me to the reason I’m writing this post.

It’s no longer necessary for us to have all the answers. It’s time to throw ourselves open to the hive mind. It’s time to start asking for help. This era asks that of us – if we are to evolve and grow.

Trust that someone within your family, workplace, social network or in the wider community will hold the solution to your problem, or as a group they will work out something more elegant and suited to your needs than anything you could come up with on your own.

I have a dear friend whose husband has just been diagnosed with cancer this week. They live in a rural community with their young children, but her husband will need to come to the city for treatment. She told me she’d love to come with him for his first appointments and chemo sessions, but she needs to be home for her children. But she doesn’t. She lives within a community. She has friends and family, and a wider group of people who care. If she throws her problem over to them someone or several of the group will come up with a solution for her. She doesn’t have to do this alone. And I know if someone else in her community was in her position she would naturally be one of the first people to offer them help or to rally a group to support them.

Please, lovelies, stop struggling on your own and ask for help. Then accept that help. Contribute your own energy to the hive mind, but also use it yourself.

I’m so excited about the possibilities of this new era and how it can help all of us move to a place of more kindness, compassion, community and connection. And it starts with us asking and being open to help and new ideas, and us sharing our own wisdom and knowledge.

Breathe a sigh of relief. It feels good not to have to struggle on our own. It feels good to be able to reach out to others for help and to help others too. Not every burden is ours to carry alone.

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.” ~ John Muir

I don’t endorse people and their work lightly. But I feel very comfortable introducing you to my dear friend Maia Toll. Maia is a herbalist, teacher and wise woman. She’s also a gifted writer. Over the past few years I’ve watched as she has created and birthed a wonderful project – a book titled The Illustrated Herbiary which also comes with 36 Oracle Cards. It will be published by Storey in August this year and I’m bursting at the seams with pride and anticipation.

I’ve had the honour of reading the draft copy, and of exploring this new resource Maia has created for us. She introduces us to 36 different plants, sharing their wisdom and taking us on a journey both mystical and practical. Although Maia is my friend that makes no difference to my assessment of these cards and handbook – she has created something important, something special, something unique and so worth adding to your collection. This book and card deck will help you on your own soul journey. The illustrations, the text itself, the activities and exercises – all of them are precious and meaningful. I just love this project and I know that you will too.

Right now if you pre-order your copy Maia is offering you a free course ‘Secrets of The Illustrated Herbiary’which will help you to increase your awareness of your energetic self, tap into your inner wisdom and forge a deeper connection with both yourself and nature. It’s a generous and special offer, and I wanted all of you to be able to take advantage of this sharing.

Want a sneak peek? Watch this short clip to get an idea of the gorgeousness inside the covers!

You can find out more about Maia and her book and cards here. Just follow the directions, pre-order and then go back to claim your free place on her course.

I look forward to sharing more of Maia’s work with you when her book launches. Meanwhile, go pre-order your copyand then dive into her bonus online course.

Lovelies, please amend your calendars! Due to that horrendous bout of flu which I am only just recovering from, we’ve postponed the Brisbane events until June.

Although I was sad to postpone there is a wonderful upside. My crystal suppliers are bringing me some great new specimens in time for the June dates. I’ll have more rare stones from Tibet and parts of China, some incredible stones from Afghanistan, lots of amazing Australian crystals and a few very special finds including Amber, skeletal Smoky Quartz and some Golden Healer Cactus Quartz clusters. I can’t wait to share them with you! (Ben has his fingers crossed that I won’t keep TOO many of them for myself.) from

All events will be now held from Friday June 29 to Sunday July 1at St Colomb’s Church Hall, 23 Victoria St, Clayfield. That’s in Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

There will be free demonstrations on using the singing bowls to clear spaces and your own energies, and Nicole and her team will be on hand to help with your crystal and card selections.

Friday Event: Join us for a shared supper and our Channelling Evening and Guided Meditation sessions on Friday night 6pm to 9pm. Come along and meet some of my guides (including some fairy friends!). They will share information about a range of topics, as well as answering questions from the audience. I rarely conduct channelling sessions outside my retreats, so this is a very special offering. I’ll be channelling my guides and some fairy friends who’ll be discussing:

How to use silence and nature to heal yourself emotionally and physically

How to use meditation to increase your emotional resilience and physical immunity

How to work with crystals in meditation, for manifestationand for healing and the science behind how crystals interact with us (Some really cool new information here!)

Using movement and music to energise you, release energetic and emotional blockages and help manage anxiety and depression.

These nights are always entertaining, educational and often very enlightening. Please bring a plate to share for supper. Tea and coffee will be provided.

Want to bring your kids? I welcome them as long as they are old enough to participate in the meditations and activities and are interested in the kind of content we’ll be sharing. As their parent you’ll know if this event is right for your child. This is not an evening suited to little children.

Foundation Spiritual Practices – This one day workshop will help you wake up your natural psychic and intuitive abilities by developing a strong practice of regular habits to incorporate into your daily life. Whether you are a complete beginner or have been working with your spiritual gifts for years you’ll find tools and techniques here to help accelerate your growth. More importantly, these practices will help you to reclaim your mindfulness, sense of self, inner calm, good decision-making, peace within, and a strong connection to guiding energies.

These are the techniques I used to build my own intuitive and psychic abilities. They are tried and tested with over 35 years of my own personal practice. If you’re busy, stressed, anxious, time-poor and longing for a way back to that safe and tranquil space of connection and communion, or if you’ve gotten out of the habit of regular spiritual practice this is the workshop for you!

We will be learning:

What a spiritual Journeymaker is and why it’s time for you to make that journey!

How to use tarot and oracle cards to find your own answers and to go deeply into a space that gives you purpose, direction and perspective. (Even if you have NEVER done this before I will have you working confidently within a short space of time!)

How to use crystals for deep soul work.

How to use journalling as part of your regular spiritual practice – done properly, journalling can open doors in your life you’d never thought possible! I’ll show you how to frame your questions, how to spiritually connect and how to go deeper to create a sacred journey of self-enlightenment.

How to easily connect with your Guides and Higher Self in meditation, and how to access these energies for direction and guidance.

How to give yourself and others energetic healing to revitalise the body, clear blockages and promote physical, emotional and spiritual healing.

Creating a sacred space in your home, and the fundamentals of crystal gridding, space clearing and energy work.

Some sacred and powerful breathing and energies techniques taught to me by my Aboriginal Aunties that I have never shared before.

Some simple quick spiritual rituals to start and end your day connected, balanced and in a good place.

Morning and afternoon tea, and lunch will be provided.

All participants will receive worksheets, a crystal grid to construct at home and MP3 recordings of our guided meditations after the event so that you can follow along with them at home until you are confident enough to do them by yourself.

Bookings Essential!

Cost: $330 adults,$220children under 17

Sunday Workshop

Sunday 1 July – Full Day Workshop 10am to 4.30pm

Making and Using Meditation Mala Beads – Lots of people are wearing Mala Beads these days, but no-one seems to know how to actually use them!

Come along to this fun and instructive one-day workshop and let me show you how. Today you will learn about Mala Beads, how they work, and how to use them.

You’ll create your own sacred Meditation Mala, with a combination of blessed wooden beads and crystals. (And oh my, you should see the crystals and pearls I have for you to choose from!) You’ll learn the prayers and blessings to activate your Mala and to attune it to your own energies. At the end of the day you’ll have a beautiful wearable spiritual tool, that suits your personality, energy and style.

You’ll also learn how to use your Meditation Mala. I’ll show you:

how to meditate to reach that deep quiet space that everyone talks about but so few people get to

how to meditate to manage anxiety, stress and depression

how to meditate to create manifesting energies that draw positive energy, situations and relationships to your life

how to meditate to send energy and healing to others

how to meditate to change habits and build positive new ones

how to meditate to build your own intuitive connection and connection to Guides, Ancestors, Angels and God (whomever or whatever you perceive that energy to be)

how to meditate to clear and activate your chakras

These are the mala meditation techniques I have used to build my own intuitive and psychic abilities, some of which have been shared with me by Tibetan Buddhist Shamans.

By the end of the day you’ll feel connected, grounded, blissy and fabulous!

Morning and afternoon tea, and lunch will be provided.

All participants will take home their own sacred mala beads. You’ll also receive worksheets and MP3 recordings of our guided meditations after the event so that you can follow along with them at home until you are confident enough to do them by yourself.

Bookings Essential!

Cost: $330 adults,$220children under 17

Note: If you choose to attend both weekend workshops and the Channelling Evening, total cost will be discounted to $650. (YOMMERS also receive an additional discount – we’ll tell you all about that in our facebook group!)

VIP Tickets: We have a limited number of VIP Tickets Available

Come hang out with me! As a VIP you’ll be invited to an exclusive breakfast and additional session with me before the workshop each morning starting at 8am. In these intimate sessions I will share extra teaching and give you the opportunity to ask personal questions and receive channelled information specifically for you! You’ll be given a deluxe participant’s bag with crystals chosen and programmed for you by me, as well as a beautiful journal and some other special goodies to help you make the most of your event. Our Goody Bag is TRULY Deluxe this year – you’re going to love it!!! You’ll also receive an MP3 of our private channelling sessions and guided meditations as well as a copy of the Friday Night Channelling event too. (Added bonus – you’ll also have first access to the new channelled crystals I’ll bring each day to replenish our shop stock!)

VIP Foundation Spiritual Practices – $585

VIP Meditation Mala – $585

VIP Weekend Ticket – $1100

For More Information Or To Book: You can register your interest with my wonderful team atnicolecodyinfo@gmail.com or come over to my Shop here on the blog from where you can buy your tickets direct.

And of course you can drop in to the pop-up shop at any time over the weekend, except during our Friday Night Event!

I look forward to seeing you, to hugs and friendship, and to some wonderful classes and sharing,

“I can love who I think you areOr you can allow yourselfTo be yourselfSo that I can love YOU.” ― Kate McGahan

Hello, Lovelies!

May is a month that empowers you to take the long view of your goals, and to make decisions and take actions that support those goals. We see that it is pointless to put ourselves under endless pressure. May supports sustainable action, and working towards our goals and dreams bit by bit, step by step. Keep that in mind as we look at the gifts of inspiration which the oracle card The Big Bad Wolf brings us.

The Big Bad Wolf calls on us to face our fears, our shadow side, and the dark place where we hide our secret hopes and dreams.

If you’re honest (and I want you to be honest) there are parts of yourself that you’re ashamed of – things that have happened in the past, that were done to you or that you’ve done to yourself or someone else. Or maybe you’re ashamed of the way you look or the way you act or of your current situation.

There are places and emotions within you that may make you feel uncomfortable. Perhaps it’s anger, maybe it’s lust, or it could be a huge desire to say ‘Screw it!’ and walk away from whatever is the sensible situation or relationship that everyone else keeps telling you is so great.

There are also dreams and desires you keep hidden deep inside because they mean so much to you. If you act on them and fail then who will you be? If you act on them and are judged or are rejected who will love you? If this thing doesn’t work out what will shape your life and give it meaning?

The Big Bad Wolf shows you that these inner places hold the key that will unlock your power. Embracing them and integrating them into your life, or bringing them out into the light to be healed or expressed will help you to grow and give your life satisfaction and meaning.

Think about those shadow parts of yourself and those secret dreams. Then find a way to claim them, heal them, integrate them, act on them. That’s your path to growth, and your path to self-love and reconnection with all that you are. This week can be life-changing if you are brave enough to act.

Trust your intuition – it’s heightened right now and this deeper sensitivity will guide you well.

Supportive crystals this week?

Orange Calciteconnects you to inspiration and your heart’s desires and is a wonderful beginner stone for tuning in to the spiritual realms. Use it to help you see your first steps forward. Amethyst helps you tune in to spiritual guidance and also helps you to think deeply about your problems in ways that allow solutions to be found. Smoky Quartz (pictured) helps you tune in to your shadow side with empathy, compassion and wisdom. Tiger Eye will help you focus, make big decisions and act with integrity and courage.

Helpful essential oils?

Cypress is a very useful oil this week, unless you’re pregnant or lactating (if you are please don’t use this oil – try Roman Chamomile instead!). Cypress has a woodsy fresh aroma that is expansive and uplifting. It works with our heart chakra, helping us to step into our power and to move through grief, pain and trauma with grace and courage. It’s a great oil for your diffuser.

Want to create a soothing and empowering blend for the week ahead?
Add 6 drops of Cypress, 2 drops of Bergamot, 2 drops of Frankincense and 2 drops of Lavender.

If you’re looking for some extra support for your spiritual journey come check out my (rescheduled!) Pop Up Shop, Channelling Night and One Day Workshops in Brisbane 29 June to 1 July. I’ll be teaching Foundation Spiritual Practices (the things I used to develop my own psychic and intuitive skills, self-awareness and compassion), Meditation and Mala making (this second workshop is brilliant if you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed, stuck or suffering from anxiety or depression). No matter what level you’re at I’ll have something for you on my program. More details here!

Holding you, as always, in my thoughts, prayers and meditations, and intending for you a life of abundance and joy, where you are no longer limited by your doubts.

All my love,

Nicole ❤xx

PS: Monday’s oracle card,‘The Big Bad Wolf’, is from the Inner Child Cards – A Fairy-Tale Tarot. I use any cards shown as a prompt for channelled messages and my own own intuitive wisdom, so my take is sometimes quite different to the meaning found in a book.

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” ~ Lao Tzu

I’m still recovering from the flu, and gee, it’s taking muuuuuuch longer than I would have liked. On top of that I managed to pick up a vomiting bug because of my dodgy immune system, so that has meant a couple of useless days just as I was picking up again.

I have to be honest. Yesterday morning after a horrid night I was quite despairing. You know; tears of frustration, being totally over it, and yes – being down on myself too. I wanted to be writing. I wanted to be back at work. I wanted to be doing so many other things. I wanted hair free of knots!!! (Try lying in bed through fevers and misery for a month and see what that does to your hair – I know some of you completely get this because things like illness and depression are not friends to long locks…)

And oh the guilt I began to feel that here I was in bed. Again.

I didn’t stop myself feeling any of those things.

That never helps.

This is my truth. I’m getting better slowly. I’m frustrated. I had a less-than-great couple of days. It was okay to be in a bit of a hole.

It’s helpful to be able to be honest about where you are and how you feel. I had a cry on the phone to my sister. I had a cry with Ben. I had a cry with the dogs. After which I slept and slept and slept.

This morning I am doing better. In a week or so I’ll be back to doing all the things I had wanted to do. Meanwhile, I am where I am and it is what it is.

I realised a few years ago that I had bought into this crazy belief that I needed to be 100% on 100% of the time. Because of that belief I pushed myself relentlessly. No matter what my truth was. This perfection thing is all around us – on social media, in magazines and on television and in movies. It’s the expectation at schools and universities and in our workplaces. We’re not meant to have down days, sad days, sick days, ugly days.

Except that we all do.

We all do.

So my lovelies, the next time you have a down day or a sick day, the next day you feel like crawling back under the covers and not facing the day, extend yourself some compassion and know that it’s normal to not be 100% on your game every single day. Only robots and Stepford Wives do that. Everything else you see providing evidence to the contrary is a carefully curated lie. Please don’t buy into that!

No matter what your current reality there is no point fighting it. It is what it is. Fighting against your truth is disempowering. You beat yourself up, lower your vibration and end up feeling even worse than you did before. It keeps you in the hole longer.

Accepting where you are at, honestly and without judgement, creates shift.

Don’t like where you are at? Accept that truth. Sometimes that’s all you need to do to create movement in a new direction and a lightening up of your mood and situation.

Don’t want to keep living this current version of yourself? Decide to change it. That’s not fighting it, that’s empowering yourself to move in a different direction. Wanting to change and then deciding to change still honours where you currently are and that’s so important for self-love and self-acceptance. Affirm to yourself I am where I am but I can change.

No matter our current situation and how difficult things are we still have choices. We change emotionally, intellectually, spiritually or physically. That knowledge can be a life-raft, and it can open doors to new possibilities.

Self-acceptance is, in itself, a powerful force for change and for creating flow.

Sending you love and hugs, and holding you in my meditations, Nicole ❤xx

“Sometimes my successes come quickly and at other times they are terribly slow to arrive. It is not my place to determine the speed at which they arrive or if they arrive at all. My place is to keep forging ahead no matter what.” ~ Craig D. Lounsbrough

If you follow my blog you’ll know that I’ve been working on my memoir for a while now. I started it after many of you asked me to keep telling the story of my time in the Kimberley and of my Aboriginal Aunties.

I’m up to my eighth draft now, and I’m fairly sure this will be my final one. This week while I’m mostly in bed recovering from the flu I am making these last few changes. I’d been hoping to be working on it at a writers retreat this week, but I didn’t make the final cut. I would have been too sick to go anyway. Funny, that.

I’ve tried to get this thing out into the world a few times now, and it has never flown. Each time, after the rejection, I have let it sit for a while and then have reworked it. Each time it has changed quite dramatically.

I’d decided that no matter what happened with this latest opportunity that I would complete the draft and then send it on. When I began this latest edit a few days ago I was sure I knew what my story was about, what the themes were and what needed to be changed. And then I had a discussion with my sister. As we talked about family and history I suddenly understood that this draft was missing a major message – something one of those wise Aboriginal women had shared with me which had changed everything I thought about myself. I saw that if it could change everything for me it would do the same for many of you. Some truths are universal like that.

If this draft had not been delayed I would never have reached that critical realisation.

So I’m trusting in right timing. I’m trusting that every rejection and hold-up was needed to shape the story it will become. I’m trusting that very soon it will be time for this story to be born into the world.

Has that ever happened to you? That the timing was all wrong until suddenly it was right. Looking back you knew that every disappointment was okay because now you were exactly where you needed to be.

I’m so looking forward to sharing my story with you. Wish me luck as I labour through these last changes!

“Become a good noticer. Pay attention to the feelings, hunches, and intuitions that flood your life each day. If you do, you will see that premonitions are not rare, but a natural part of our lives.” ~ Larry Dossey

This is a week for standing up for yourself, for speaking your truth, for seeking fairness and justice for yourself.

So, this week I’m asking you to pay attention to your niggles.

You know, niggles. Those funny little feelings where something doesn’t sit right with you. Maybe it’s the way your partner talks to their mother, or about their previous girlfriend. Maybe it’s the way your boss puts you down and then laughs it off or praises you so that you’re unsure if you’re overreacting. Maybe it’s the way you think your friend is lying to you because their stories so often contradict each other. Or you haven’t heard back from someone who seemed so keen to catch up. Or something isn’t adding up about a situation or relationship and it is bothering you, even though you can talk yourself out of those feelings.

Niggles.

Niggles are our intuition raising a red flag for us. They show us where to be more aware, where to tread carefully, where to pay better attention.

This week already I’ve had a flood of emails to my inbox from people who are deep into relationships or situations that gave them plenty of niggles, but where they ignored them. Now things are really going wrong. Or they’re being treated less and less well. But there are high stakes now. Marriages, business partnerships, money involved, or children. Nothing has really changed from those first niggles, except that the person can finally name the issues that the niggles were warning them about.

Niggles exist to show you where a situation is in misalignment with your values, wellbeing and highest good.

If you’ve ignored those niggles up to now it’s not too late. This week you’re empowered to act in support of yourself.

If you have niggles tune in. Pay attention. Maybe it’s time to step back, reassess, get help or move in a new direction.

“Because we always have a choice, even when it feels like we don’t.”~ A.C. Gaughen

Hello, Lovelies!

May is a month that empowers you to take the long view of your goals, and to make decisions and take actions that support those goals. We see that it is pointless to put ourselves under endless pressure. May supports sustainable action, and working towards our goals and dreams bit by bit, step by step.Keep that in mind as we look at the gifts of inspiration which the oracle card Guide of Swords brings us.

This week’s card draws heavily on the legend of Robin Hood who stole from the corrupt rich who were overtaxing society so that he could give the money back to the poor.

Guide of Swords reminds us to live from our values this week. Hold the higher ground. Stand up to bullies. Do what is fair and right and good. Live and lead by example. Be a lighthouse on a dark and stormy night, helping others to navigate safely. Don’t worry if the people around you don’t share the same views, or if they are behaving badly. Instead do all you can to live from a place of honesty, integrity and valour. These are old-fashioned virtues that still hold true even though they have fallen in popularity lately.

It’s a week where justice will be served, and the scales may tip in your favour if you have recently been wronged or unfairly treated. It’s a week for us to examine our position to determine if we could be doing more to support the causes that are dear to our hearts.

As we work towards our goals and plan our longer-term future this month we’re also being shown that sharing our success is important. Who can you help and how can you do that? Where can you make a positive difference in the world?

There is also a strong message within the Guide of Swords about the healing power of nature. If you’re overwhelmed by life go take a walk by the beach or through a forest, sit in the park at lunchtime, or spend time in your garden or with treasured pets. Nature helps us to come to a place of clarity, calm and wisdom. All we need to do is spend time there and find that connection back to our heart.

Supportive crystals this week?

Amazonite helps us to live bravely and from our heart, especially in regard to our creative projects. It will boost self-confidence and self-worth. Orange Calciteconnects us to inspiration and our heart’s desires and is a wonderful beginner stone for tuning in to the spiritual realms. It’s great for all forms of creativity. Amethyst(pictured) helps us to tune in to spiritual guidance and also helps us to manifest and become clear about our life path. Garnet gifts us courage, fortitude and wisdom.

Helpful essential oils?

Helpful essential oils?

This week I’m loving Young Living’s Valor essential oil blend. It’s great for releasing old ways and old thinking, and for finding the courage to move in new directions. The fragrance of Valor is soothing and grounding and I find that it brings me instant calm when I am anxious or afraid. You can also use Young Living’s Peace and Calming Blend if you don’t have Valor at hand!)

Apply it to your pulse points at wrist, neck and over heart like a perfume. Place a few drops in your bath water. Diffuse it. One of my favourite uses is as a centering and reassuring pick-me-up. Put a drop in the palm of your hand, rub hands together and then inhale the aroma. (Here’s a simple three-minute meditation you can do using Valor or any of your favourite essential oils – click here)

Need an extra boost of encouragement? Try Young Living’sBelieveessential oil blend. It’s fabulous in your diffuser while you work, or as a quick pick-me-up with a three-minute meditation. Believe is uplifting and promotes confidence, spiritual connection, clarity and belief in ourselves. It also helps us to let go of fear, doubt and old emotional pain and hurt. I often use this oil when I am creating, writing or journalling, or working with cards for myself.

If you can’t access these oils then use Sandalwood, Ginger or Rosemary.

Holding you, as always, in my thoughts, prayers and meditations, and intending for you a life of abundance and joy, where you are no longer limited by your doubts.

All my love,

Nicole ❤xx

PS: Monday’s oracle card,‘Guide of Swords’, is from the Inner Child Cards – A Fairy-Tale Tarot. I use any cards shown as a prompt for channelled messages and my own own intuitive wisdom, so my take is sometimes quite different to the meaning found in a book.

“If the home is a body, the table is the heart, the beating centre, the sustainer of life and health.” ~ Shauna Niequist

I’m still getting over the flu, so I’m tired and useless and have no energy or brain for anything much at all. But we had friends arriving home to our village who’ve just been away at a family funeral. The thought of them arriving to a cold dark house and an empty fridge was just wrong. Anyway, they’re the kind of friends who don’t mind if I’m in my pyjamas or if I served them toast for dinner. Don’t you just love friends like that!

So I roasted some chickens and teamed it with baked vegetables and coleslaw. A simple meal. Easy to prepare and delicious. It also has the added benefit of giving me leftovers, and chicken frames to make stock tomorrow. Here’s my easy chicken stock recipe. I love cooking more than we need. That way the leftovers give me easy meals for days without much effort. I can have a plate of cold roast vegetables, chicken and salad for lunch, or put them in a wrap or sandwich. I can use the chicken meat in curries, pasta, soups and stir-fries for dinner. I can even use the leftovers in an omelette or frittata. Sounds good, doesn’t it!.

The butter, herbs and cider in this recipe keep the chicken moist and tender, and the flavour is fantastic. (So is the smell of the chicken roasting!)

Confession – my coleslaw is a packet of shredded raw ingredients from the supermarket tossed with some dressing, and Ben has chopped up the vegetables for me. But easy is good and if it means healthy eating I’m all for that! Prep time for the entire meal was ten minutes.

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and this meal is easy enough for non-cooks to create with confidence. Maybe you can bake it for your mum, or for you!

4. Wash the chickens well under cold running water, including the cavity and pat dry with a paper towel

5. Place chickens into the baking tray. Add the lemon, onion and sprig of herb to the cavity.

6. In a small saucepan (or you can microwave!) place the butter and lemon juice and gently melt together. Throw in the chopped herbs, mix well and then spoon over the chicken.

7. Season the top of the chicken with salt and freshly ground pepper.

8. Pour the bottle of cider into the bottom of the pan and place in the hot oven for thirty minutes.

9. After thirty minutes baste the chicken liberally by spooning the pan juices over the bird. Add any vegetables to the oven if you’re baking them.

10. Continue to baste the chicken at intervals of about fifteen minutes. This helps keep the meat moist and flavourful.

11. If the top of your chicken is browning too quickly cover with some aluminium foil and return to oven. (No need to baste further of you do this.)

12. After your cooking time is up check the chicken is cooked by seeing if the juices run clear when a knife or skewer inserted into the part of the chicken where the thigh meets the body. You can also test by gently easing the drumstick and thigh away from the body of the chicken and looking at the juices. There should be no pink at all.

13. Let the cooked chicken stand for ten minutes, and then serve. This helps the juices settle back into the meat so they don’t run everywhere when you carve the chicken, and it keeps the meat juicy and tender.

“A good selfie is when you successfully capture the feeling of that very moment!” ~ Anamika Mishra

Yesterday I ventured out into the world for the first time in weeks. This flu has really laid me low, and I’m still far from well but yesterday Ben, Cafe Dog and I went out to check the mail at our post box, to food shop for his mum and to grab a quick coffee.

Harry Dog was thrilled to finally leave the house too. Me? I was not quite with it, but grateful to be dressed and upright.

Makeup and hair styling? All too hard. I was clean, I smelled okay, and I’d swapped pyjamas for going-out clothes. As far as I’m concerned that’s a win!

We were out for less than an hour, by which time I was completely exhausted, but it was worth it to feel like part of the human race again.

I know. I can hear you saying it. I’m damaging my personal brand with these awful selfies. First it was thigh gap, and now real and unadulterated images of me feeling crappy and fluey and still quite horrid (and still with bad hair, wrinkles and oldness).

Oh well.

I’m really a bit over all of these images and stories in my social media feed about how to lose weight, look younger, have bigger boobs, fewer wrinkles, smaller thighs (or thigh gap!) or whiter teeth, and all of those images of perfectly happy people having perfectly wonderful lives.

Does your life look like that?

Mine doesn’t. And sweethearts it is absolutely fine if yours doesn’t either.

Today I want you to embrace yourself just as you are. Give yourself a hug or a virtual high-five from me if you’ve turned up for life today – no matter how hard things are right now. Give yourself an elephant stamp if you managed some personal hygiene. Have a gold star if you accomplished something on your list. Kind to yourself or others? Seriously – you deserve a medal! That’s the world I want to live in. I want a world filled with people who are honest and vulnerable and real – who show up courageously when life is hard, who reach out to others when they have the strength to do so, and who ask for help when they are struggling to manage on their own.

Let’s be kind to all those people with perfectly curated social media lives too. Because I can guarantee you that behind those images will be the same kinds of health dramas, money problems, relationship issues, depression, anxiety and ‘stuff’ that all the rest of us experience. They were just careful to edit those bits out before they put their life on display.

That’s one gift that chronic illness has given me – I’ve realised what matters, and it certainly isn’t about living my life to impress other people.

Lovelies, let’s agree to just keep being ourselves and to support others to be themselves too. Doesn’t that take off an enormous amount of pressure? Without that pressure we’ve freed up untold energy to put to much more constructive uses. Hooray for that. Hooray for real.